# Chapter 6: The Weakest Branch
"Welcome home!" These words made Linley's chest burn with warmth.
Feeling the concerned gazes of the other Baruch family members looking at him, Linley suddenly realized that the hardships he had endured over the past seven hundred years—crossing from the Violet Continent, traversing the Stellar Sea of Mist, and rushing to the Blood Peak Continent—were all worth it!
After drifting in the Infernal Realm for so many years, he had finally come home!
Baruch released Linley and looked at him, tears hidden in his tiger-like eyes: "Linley, you've suffered."
"Mr. Haniman, thank you." Baruch looked at Haniman. "This Linley is indeed from our Yulan branch."
"Haha, Baruch, congratulations. This is the family emblem. Let Linley perform a blood drop to bind it." Haniman handed over an emblem, then smiled, "Then I won't disturb you any longer." With that, Haniman flew away directly.
Baruch gave the emblem to Linley.
"Blood drop to bind?" Linley looked at the emblem.
"This is for identifying family identity. All family members have emblems." Baruch explained. Linley immediately performed the blood drop binding. The moment he did, Linley was surprised to discover—
He could actually sense the emblems on other people.
"Indeed, with this I can easily tell whether someone is a family member."
"Linley." Behind Baruch, the handsome young man was beaming. "Do you know who I am?"
Linley was momentarily stunned. He had never met these family ancestors before, so how could he know their names and identities?
"My name is Ryan." The handsome young man said. "You just mentioned my matter earlier."
Linley then realized and laughed: "Our Baruch family's first Golden Dragon Holy Knight!"
"Haha. Golden Dragon Holy Knight, right, right." Ryan immediately burst into laughter. "You just mentioned me and Hazer. Hazer, come here." Ryan called to a sturdy, light golden-haired man behind him.
"Linley, hello." Hazer said.
Linley opened his mouth, but suddenly realized he had no idea what to call him.
Hazer's great-great-great... grandfather?
Whether it was Baruch, Ryan, or Hazer, each was many generations older than Linley.
Seeing Linley's expression, Baruch guessed what he was thinking and laughed: "Linley, in the material plane, people's lifespans are short, so discussing seniority has meaning. But in the Infernal Realm, where many have lived for over a hundred million years, discussing seniority is meaningless."
"Look at our Azure Dragon clan. It has existed for who knows how many billions of years. Between the oldest and the youngest member, there are over a hundred million generations of difference. Tell me, does that still have meaning?"
When there are too many generations, it becomes meaningless.
For example, in the Yulan Continent, the O'Brien Empire.
The War God had many descendants. Over five thousand years of inheritance, there were too many offspring. O'Brien himself no longer cared about his descendants. His oldest disciple was about the same age as him, while his youngest was about Linley's age—a difference of nearly five thousand years.
Yet despite such a huge difference, they were still fellow disciples.
"The Azure Dragon clan has now branched out and spread so wide. Perhaps two people born at the same time could be separated by who knows how many generations." Baruch laughed. "So, not just our family, but in the Infernal Realm, discussing seniority is meaningless."
Linley nodded in agreement.
"Boss. I don't know how many generations apart I am from Grandpa Beirut. But I just call him Grandpa." Bebe said. "And Grandpa Beirut's three sons, I just call them by their names."
Bebe, after all, was from the Beirut family. If you calculated it, he was a descendant of the three Harrison brothers.
But because the generational gap was too large, Bebe just called Harrison and the other two by their names.
"Haha." Ryan laughed. "Linley, we used to find it troublesome too, but now everyone is used to it. Among the Azure Dragon clan, we address each other casually. Status is determined entirely by strength!"
Those with strong strength become high-ranking family members. No matter how high your seniority, if you've cultivated for billions of years and are still only a Demigod, while someone else cultivated for ten thousand years and became a God, you must bow respectfully when you see them.
"You can call me Patriarch. As for others, just call them by their names." Baruch laughed.
"Call them by their names?" Linley still felt awkward.
"Of course, call them by their names." Hazer laughed. "You've cultivated to the Demigod level now, so you were probably born about a thousand years ago. I had another daughter a few decades ago. She's much younger than you. Would you call her your ancestor too?"
Linley could only smile.
For people with infinite lifespans, seniority truly has no meaning.
"As long as they're not within three generations of direct blood relatives, you can call them by their names." Hazer said.
"Let's not all stand here. Let's go to the main hall." Baruch said with a smile. Linley followed everyone toward the distance, chatting along the way. Linley also introduced Delia and Bebe.
"Patriarch." Linley inquired. "How many people are there in our Yulan branch now?"
"A few hundred." Baruch smiled and looked around. "But there are other branches living in this canyon. Our Yulan branch is just a very small one." Baruch had one more thing he didn't say—
Their branch was also the weakest.
"Baruch, you seem pretty happy?" A frivolous voice sounded.
Baruch and the dozens of others had somewhat ugly expressions. Linley turned to look at the source of the voice. A few people walked over from not far away, led by a young man with green hair. This young man had a hint of a mocking smile on his face: "What happy occasion? Tell me about it."
"Don't mind him. Let's go!" Baruch said in a low voice.
Linley also noticed that the other family members didn't even look at the green-haired young man and continued walking toward their residence.
"Baruch, I'm talking to you. What's with that ugly face?" The green-haired young man frowned and shouted.
There were also a few young men beside the green-haired young man. They were also dissatisfied with Baruch. One of them snorted: "Baruch, what's this? Relying on someone to back you up, you're getting arrogant? You won't even acknowledge us when we speak to you?"
Baruch, Ryan, and the others had extremely ugly expressions.
Among the Azure Dragon clan, the Yulan Continent branch was the weakest. When they were first brought here, they were only in the Saint realm. Later, through ancestral temple baptism and hard training, they had made great progress. But the time was too short—only a few thousand years.
In the Yulan branch, the strongest was only a Demigod!
A Demigod?
In the Infernal Realm, especially in an ancient family like the Four Divine Beasts family, if the strongest member of a branch was only a Demigod, it was destined that this branch would be looked down upon, bullied, and ridiculed!
Other branches and sub-branches had many Gods.
But your branch's strongest was only a Demigod. How could you compare? It would be strange if you weren't looked down upon!
Although they were all in this large canyon, which was for weaker branches, other branches at least had some Gods!
"Damn it, what nonsense are you spouting here?" Bebe shouted angrily.
Tarosse also darkened his face, his cold gaze sweeping over those few: "We're here. Who are you people to spout so much nonsense here?"
"You..." Those few were stunned, then furious. They had never imagined that the weakest Yulan branch, which they mocked and bullied every day, would actually dare to be arrogant with them!
The leading young man laughed in extreme anger: "Baruch, your people really have guts. They dare to curse at me, Asru!"
Asru himself was a God!
In the Four Divine Beasts family, Gods weren't considered much. Linley had seen over a hundred thousand patrolling soldiers flying along the Dragonway. All of those over a hundred thousand patrolling soldiers were Gods. The number of Gods was unimaginable!
But...
The Yulan branch didn't have a single God!
So Asru, as a God, could act arrogantly and domineeringly before the Yulan branch, while Baruch and the others could only endure it.
"Asru, don't go too far." Baruch said in a low voice. "Today, we have guests."
"I'm going too far?" Asru glared.
"Baruch, you've got some nerve, cursing Lord Asru?" The people behind Asru all shouted.
By now, Tarosse, Bebe, and the others were furious. Tarosse didn't put an ordinary-looking God in his sights: "Kid—"
"You shut up!" Asru pointed angrily at Tarosse.
Tarosse was enraged.
Asru sneered: "I know you few are Gods. But you don't seem to be from our Azure Dragon clan, do you? In our Azure Dragon clan's territory, you should be grateful just to stay here. If you make a move... the family's army will be the first to eliminate you!"
Asru had long noticed that Tarosse, Cesar, and the others were Gods.
But he wasn't afraid. This was Azure Dragon clan territory. Through the family emblem's perception, he had already confirmed these people were outsiders.
"Cesar, don't make a move." Baruch shook his head and transmitted mentally, "The reason you could come here is first because of Linley's identity, and second because this is a remote area of our family. But if you make a move... regardless of whether you're in the right, the family army will side with family members. If you make a move, you'll be killed directly. Linley, you need to control your people."
Tarosse, Cesar, O'Brien, and the others were stunned.
"Don't worry, Patriarch." Linley responded.
Linley then turned to look at Asru. Asru was a God? But what was an ordinary God? When he was on Crocodile Island, using the 'Blackstone Prison,' he had slaughtered wantonly among tens of thousands of Gods.
Tens of thousands of Gods didn't scare him.
Why would he care about this Asru?
"Kid, what are you staring at?" Asru shouted. Asru was very dissatisfied today. This weak Yulan branch, which he usually bossed around and bullied without them saying much, seemed to have gotten arrogant today.
"Asru, right?" Linley smiled.
"That's right." Asru lifted his chin slightly.
"Linley, don't cause trouble." Baruch was somewhat anxious and immediately transmitted mentally, "Our Baruch family's strongest is only a Demigod. Our branch is too weak. We can't fight them."
"Patriarch, I'm a family member. If I fight him, the family army won't take his side, right?" Linley transmitted back.
Baruch transmitted: "They won't take his side, but you're only a Demi..."
Linley directly turned to look at Asru: "Asru, I advise you. From today onward, don't provoke our Yulan Continent branch."
"What did you say?" Asru was stunned.
"Don't provoke us from now on." Linley said in a low voice.
Asru stared blankly at Linley, then threw his head back and laughed: "Haha..." Even the few young men behind Asru also burst into laughter.
The Yulan branch—the weakest in this canyon, bullied by other branches every day, too weak to dare resist.
"Kid, you—" Asru pointed at Linley, about to say something. But suddenly—a grayish earthy yellow light spread out, directly enveloping Asru and the others.
Blackstone Space, maximum gravity!
Asru's body suddenly slumped, and he knelt directly on the ground. The powerful gravity made his body tremble faintly. The people beside him were even worse, falling flat on the ground before barely managing to stand upright.
"I said, don't provoke our Yulan branch from now on!" Linley's face darkened, and the earthy yellow light trembled.
The downward gravity changed to repulsive force!
"Boom!" Asru and the others were sent flying by the repulsive force, crashing in the distance. They all stood up, looking at Linley in terror. Linley hadn't even moved his body, yet he had easily toyed with them.
The gap was too great.
Linley couldn't be bothered to look at Asru and the others again. He turned to Baruch and said, "Patriarch, let's go back." On Crocodile Island, slaughtering wantonly among tens of thousands of Gods—why would he care about an ordinary God?
"Linley, this?"
Baruch and his group were completely stunned.
They hadn't yet realized that from today onward... the Yulan branch would no longer be bullied.